Eternal Flame
by VictorianPearl
Summary: She was tricked, played, and deceived by an old rival who used her as a puppet in a scheme for revenge. The strings pulled her into a battle she had no knowledge of between the minds of two magicians.
1. The Dream

VictorianPearl: Here is the newest installment for my CCS fictions. I worked long and hard on this fiction. Many class and work hours were spent creating this fiction X_X

Li: How dare you use the class time you were paying to be in for writing this fiction!

VictorianPearl: How do you think I wrote my Halloween installment for _OneShot?_

Li: Here is the new and wonderful fiction about love, revenge, and magic.

Eternal Flame

Chapter 1

The Dream

_The goddess Artemis was enraged by her brother, grippingly and blindingly enraged. She was a goddess, she could do most anything, and right now she had to prove that she could hit a target in the dark. She stood across the ocean with her arrow pulled tight. The moon, _her _moon, was barely shinning from behind dark clouds._

Thwang…thud…

_Her anger cooled, but before triumph could set in, Apollo laughed, and her horror took its place. Artemis dropped her divine bow and dived into the ocean. She swam to her former target and discovered it with horror. Orion was dead. Her good friend, her _best_ friend, her love that she would not admit to herself, was dead. And she had killed him._

V~V~V~V

Tomoyo woke with a start, covered in sweat and gasping for breath. She quickly kicked her blanket off in an attempt to cool down. She clutched at her mattress and waited for her body to calm down.

The dream, the arrow, the ocean, the body, they had seemed so life-like. Tomoyo remembered them clearly, even through her half awake mind. She could feel something foreign pulsating through her veins.

Her dream, perhaps, hadn't been so ordinary. Tomoyo had had life-like dreams before. There was a heartbeat in her fingers as if she really _had_ let that arrow soar. She shivered.

Her body began to calm and her half conscious mind began to slip. She fell back onto her pillow and quickly fell back asleep. In her slumber, her fingers twitched, still pulsating.

V~V~V~V

The school bell rang, but Tomoyo was already in her seat and ready to begin class. She sat in front of Eriol with Sakura and Syaoran to her left. They were only a week into their final year of high school. Not much had changed from elementary, except that now a few different classmates were dating.

Tomoyo was upright and paying close attention to her teacher. Although she clearly remembered the previous night's dream, it was far from any of her current thoughts, which were all school centered.

After Japanese, Math, and English class, it was lunch time. Tomoyo, Sakura, Syaoran, and Eriol all sat in a circle on the grass, bringing out their lunch boxes. Many of their close friends, like Takashi, Chiharu, and Naoko sat nearby.

Syaoran glanced over his lunchbox at Eriol.

"Haven't you managed to make any new friends yet, Hiiragizawa?" The Chinese boy asked.

Eriol smiled. "I have made many new friends, but I would never forsake lunch hour with _you _for _them_."

Sakura and Tomoyo glanced at each other and rolled their eyes. It seemed that this school years was going to go on the same as any other year. Indeed, not much had changed.

Lunch was never quiet, whether for better or worse. Most of the time Eriol was torturing Syaoran or Syaoran was provoking Eriol, but at least it was never boring. Tomoyo had become very close with everyone in her group, they were inseparable.

Sakura and Syaoran got lost in their own conversation. Eriol noticed the dazed look on Tomoyo's face.

"Tomoyo-chan," Eriol said, waving a hand in front of his friend's face. "Are you alright?"

Tomoyo blinked. "Eh? Yes, I'm fine Eriol-kun. I was just…thinking about how much fun I have with all of you at lunch."

They both smiled in agreement. Time was short though and they all shoved their lunches down their throats before running off to their next class. The second half of the day's classes gave much lighter homework than the first half did. Despite this, Tomoyo knew that she was going to be busy with her homework until dinner.

Syaoran managed to get out of his last class first and waited for his three friends to meet him outside in the warm, afternoon sun. Sakura, Eriol, and Tomoyo all approached him together.

"Should I even ask if anyone wants to go get ice cream?" Syaoran asked hopefully.

"You're more than welcome to come to my house for ice cream." Eriol suggested. "Nakuru makes amazing hot fudge sundays."

As much as it pained him to turn down the offer of a free sunday, Syaoran ignored Eriol.

"Sakura, Tomoyo?" Syaoran asked with wide eyes.

"I'll go with you." Sakura gave in. "But, we have to go by my house and get Kero first."

Syaoran's cheers were cut short, but he was still happy. He then dragged Sakura off. She merely waved a frantic goodbye to her two friends.

Tomoyo giggled. "I don't know about you, but I need to get home and finish today's homework."

Eriol nodded. "Shall we go then?"

The two school friends walked in the direction of Tomoyo's house. They walked in silence. Tomoyo was enjoying the walk until her fingers began to pulsate as they had done the previous night, reminding her of her odd dream.

She wanted to tell her friends about it, but felt unusually hesitant. She was used to figuring things out on her own, and although she didn't mind asking for help when she needed it, the feeling in her stomach held her back.

"Tomoyo-chan, you're dazed again." Eriol commented, smiling lightly.

Tomoyo snapped back into reality, catching Eriol's smile and blushing in embarrassment.

"Are you thinking about school again?" He asked, not really expecting her to answer.

The dark-haired girl was quiet.

'_What the heck, it's Eriol afterall.'_

Tomoyo opened her mouth to ask Eriol about the dream, but he stopped walking. She was confused for a moment, until she realized that they had stopped in front of her house.

"Thank you for walking me home, Eriol-kun." Tomoyo said, bowing and hoping he hadn't noticed her temporary confusion.

Eriol just smiled. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

Tomoyo waved goodbye before her friend disappeared, teleporting back to his house, she assumed. She frowned slightly now that she was left alone. Perhaps she would call Sakura and talk to her instead.

Later that evening, Tomoyo rested on her bed and speed-dialed Sakura's number. After a few rings she was met with the voicemail. The phone was hung up with disappointment.

'_She's probably making out again…'_

Somehow, the homework managed to be finished by dinner. Tomoyo was now mentally exhausted. She decided to give up on deciphering the dream for now. She was just too tired to worry about it.

V~V~V~V

Tomoyo sat in her last class on Friday afternoon. She watched as the clock ticked slowly.

_Only 20 more minutes to go._

She couldn't remember feeling so eager to get out of class before. The teacher was just droning on and on. She had tried to listen, but everything was going straight through her head.

She looked around the room. She focused on each of her friends, one at a time. She thought on how they had all changed, and then again how they were still the same as the first day they met in kindergarten and elementary school.

Tomoyo's eyes traveled the room slowly. She paused for a long time when she came to a person that she had only known since high school. Her eyes paused on a boy that she had seen around campus throughout the last couple of years, but had never talked to. She realized that she had never gotten a very good look at his face

_He's kind of cute. _Tomoyo thought lightly.

The "new" boy's features were somewhat delicate. He had a smooth oval face with wide brown eyes. Because Tomoyo was viewing him from the side she could see that his eye lashes were fairly long. His black hair fell lightly around his face, the ends barely brushing against the base of his neck. He was tall and thin…

Tomoyo shook her head.

_I hope nobody noticed me staring. I've got to focus!_

The bell rang soon enough though, and everybody left in an eager rush to start the weekend. Tomoyo walked with her friends until they were outside. Sakura was saying something to Syaoran about a study date at her house. The dark-haired girl didn't listen though, she was paying attention to where the boy from class was going. He was making his way to the library…

Eriol noticed Tomoyo seemed distracted and he gave her a light nudge with his elbow. She looked up quickly, trying to put her former thoughts from her mind.

"What are you thinking about, Tomoyo-chan?" Eriol asked kindly.

Sakura and Syaoran stopped walking and turned to give their attention to their friend. Tomoyo blushed at the intense gaze that Syaoran was giving her, thinking that something might be wrong.

Tomoyo raised her hands and laughed. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about what I wanted to do this weekend."

Sakura shrugged. "We can hang out at my house. Kero wants you to bring more sweets."

Tomoyo nodded. "Alright,"

"Can we go to the arcade this weekend?" Syaoran asked (mostly to Sakura) as they began to walk again. "I want to practice my DDR skills. I'll beat Yamazaki-kun soon enough."

"Actually," Tomoyo started, causing her friends to glance back at her, "I think I'm going to run to the library really fast."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Sakura asked.

Tomoyo shook her head. "No it's fine. I'll just see you tomorrow. Bye."

Sakura, Syaoran, and Eriol waved goodbye, a little confused at Tomoyo's odd behavior.

Tomoyo walked briskly to the library. She put the back of her hand to her forehead, wiping off a little sweat caused by the heat of the dying summer. She pushed her way through the doors of the school library, welcoming the feeling of the school air conditioning.

She walked slowly, carefully searching the tables and aisles for the boy she had seen in class. She couldn't say why, but she felt an inspiration to find this boy and find an excuse to talk to him.

The library was fairly empty. Not many students stayed behind on Fridays after school. Tomoyo waved to Naoko who was putting some books back on the shelves.

"Hi," Naoko whispered. "Are you looking for something, Tomoyo-chan?"

"Yes," Tomoyo whispered back, "I was meaning to talk to a boy from our government class."

Naoko thought a moment. "The only boy from our government class that is here is Chan-san. He works at the front desk."

"Oh," Tomoyo mouthed. "Thanks Naoko-chan,"

Tomoyo made her way through the aisles to the front desk. Sure enough, the boy she had been inspecting earlier was working at the front desk, checking out a book to a freshman boy.

She waited in line, quickly searching through her mind for something she could say to this boy. The freshman boy in front of her took his book and left. Tomoyo stepped up to the counter and quickly read Chan-san's nametag.

_Keung Chan_

"Hello, I was wondering if there were any Greek or Roman mythology books available." Tomoyo asked, her mind full of the dream that was very similar to a myth she was sure she had read in the past.

"Let's see." Keung said in a tenor voice. He tapped away on the computer before waiting a few moments.

"Nope, sorry." Keung said, shaking his head. "We only have two books that fit that category and they're both currently checked out. They should be returned in two weeks if you want to check back."

Keung met Tomoyo's eyes and she suddenly felt a blush creeping into her cheeks. She couldn't figure out why she seemed to be reacting to this new boy.

"Oh, alright then." Tomoyo said, a little disappointed. "I guess I'll just come back later then."

"You don't need the books for a class, do you?" Keung asked softly.

Tomoyo shook her head. "No, I was just…interested in reading them."

Keung nodded. "I know what you mean. By the way, I'm Chan Keung, I think we have a couple of classes together, don't we?"

Tomoyo nodded back. "Yes we do, and I'm Daidouji Tomoyo. It's nice to meet you."

They smiled at each other. "Well, I'll see you in class then." Tomoyo said, making to leave.

"I'll see you in class." Keung replied, raising his hand in a goodbye gesture.

Tomoyo left the library, heart beating fast with a smile plastered across her face. She couldn't believe she had just done that, and without sounding stupid or awkward or anything. She didn't even know where the inspiration to talk to him had come from, or how she was able to make the connection between her dream and the old myth she was sure she had read a long time ago.

V~V~V~V

VictorianPearl: And so ends chapter one. Tomoyo is falling for a new boy and is acting very strange with all of these new emotions running through her.

Li: And what's up with that dream she had?

VictorianPearl: You will soon find out. All (or at least more) will be revealed in chapter two! As for a side note, the myth at the beginning was only one of the many variations of the story, and that variation best fits this story.


	2. Issues

VictorianPearl: Here is the anxiously awaited (I wish) second chapter.

Li: Notes are at the end of the chapter.

Eternal Flame

Chapter 2

Issues

Monday morning arrived and Tomoyo fiddled in front of the mirror. She didn't usually give as much attention to her appearance as her mother wanted her to, but this morning she was more conscious than ever. She found herself fixing her school uniform so that it sat perfectly upon her body. She kept running her hands over her long hair, putting it in its proper place. She even went as far into detail as to spend more than fifteen minutes on her makeup.

She knew what she was excited about. But Tomoyo pushed away the thoughts that came to her mind. She couldn't be excited over some _boy_, could she? No, she had barely met him a few days ago. But what if this _was_ excitement over a new boy? Would he notice that she had made herself extra nice looking today in hopes that he might admire her? No, of course not, she wasn't feeling crazy emotions for him and she certainly wasn't making herself look good for _him_. She was just excited for a new week to begin…that's why she felt this way.

Whether or not she had actually convinced herself of the 'reason' for her excitement (which she hadn't), with one glance at the clock, the internal argument was put from Tomoyo's mind. She had been so preoccupied getting herself ready that she hadn't even noticed how late it had gotten.

"Oh no," Tomoyo moaned, grabbing her book-bag and rushing out of her room.

Sakura was startled as her best friend burst into the classroom. She couldn't remember Tomoyo ever being late before. The dark-haired girl quickly walked across the classroom and between the aisles to reach her seat in front of Eriol. She sat down, breathing heavily, obviously having run to make it to class before the bell rang.

"Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said slowly, eyeing her best friend curiously. "Is everything alright?"

"Huh?" Tomoyo managed, trying not to betray that she was still desperately gulping down air in attempt to stabilize her pumping heart.

Syaoran's attention had been grabbed too. He stared oddly at Tomoyo. He raised an eyebrow as he watched the girl glance around the classroom and smooth down her hair and uniform.

"Rough morning?" Syaoran asked.

Sakura gave her boyfriend a light punch from the desk in front of him, eyeing him with some amusement.

Syaoran's eyebrows merely raised, silently asking his girlfriend why stating the obvious was something she might consider punishable.

"Don't worry about him, Tomoyo-chan." Eriol said absentmindedly, searching through his book-bag for his homework. "I'll make sure to cast a spell on him later just to humor you."

Sakura stifled a giggle and Syaoran glared at Eriol. Nothing more could be said though, for the professor walked in, signaling the beginning of class.

Tomoyo glanced through her peers seated in the class. She attempted her search for Keung's form as discreetly as possible. When her eyes finally rested upon him, she let out a deep breath and settled into her seat a little, feeling relief.

_Why am I acting so strange? What happened to patient and careful Tomoyo? What happened to my perfect discreetness? There is something odd about this boy, something that makes me odd too. _

Later that same day at lunch, Tomoyo's distractions only got worse. Her three friends were having a conversation around her, something about Kero and his latest troublemaking. She wasn't listening though, she was wrapped in her own little world.

Although it had been happening around her for most of her life at school, and she had been well aware of it, she had never really seen it the same way as she was in the present moment. Tomoyo glanced across the lawn in the schoolyard, eying her two friends and classmates Chiharu Mihara and Takashi Yamazaki.

Takashi had obviously done something to anger Chiharu because she was fuming. She clenched her fists and yelled at her boyfriend, but he only laughed and brought the girl into a tight hug. The pig-tailed girl calmed a little and pulled back. Takashi took her chin in his hand, gently turning her face this way and that, murmuring something that caused her to blush. Chiharu threw herself back into her boyfriend's arms for another hug.

A shot went through Tomoyo's heart. It kind of hurt.

_Am I…lovesick? It seems so ridiculous. I don't understand why. Why do I feel this way?_

"Earth to Tomoyo. Do you read me?"

The dark-haired girl jumped a little in surprise. Sakura had popped in front of her face, peering into her eyes, seeing if Tomoyo was alright.

"Sakura, I'm fine!" Tomoyo gasped, attempting to appear calm and not at all like she was afraid Sakura could read her thoughts.

'_Note to self, stop spacing out.'_

Sakura's face was skeptical.

"You've been acting really weird today, Tomoyo-chan." The green-eyed girl said accusingly. "What's going on? I know _something_ is going on."

Tomoyo laughed a little bit. "Really, Sakura, I don't even know what's going on myself."

Sakura's gaze relented a little, returning to her lunch. Syaoran and Eriol were quietly watching the conversation, eyes glued on the two girls.

It was unnerving how perceptive her friends were now that they were older. Had she herself made everyone else feel this shaken when she had consulted them when they were younger?

Tomoyo glanced at Sakura, who was now gazing at Syaoran.

No, she was much more discreet than her best friend. Sakura was a little too forward. Not only that, but there was no way that Tomoyo was going to be making any confessions about secret crushes in front of Syaoran and Eriol. That would just be weird.

As she thought on this, Tomoyo found only reasons _not_ to tell either of her two male friends about her crush. First there was Syaoran. If Syaoran found out about Keung, death glares and threats were bound to go toward the poor boy. Although she didn't think (and sincerely hoped) that Syaoran would go as far as to start any fights (verbal or physical), but she wouldn't put it past him to try. His only restraint would be Sakura, if anything.

Then there was Eriol. Eriol was extremely well mannered and civil, _that_ Tomoyo didn't doubt. But if anything were to happen in the future (hypothetically speaking), Keung would be Syaoran's replacement for spells out of Eriol's punishment, amusement, and (possibly) boredom.

Tomoyo nodded mentally to herself. There was definitely no need to inform anyone other than Sakura.

After school, despite whether Tomoyo had been planning on telling Sakura what was going on right away or not, Sakura latched onto Tomoyo's arm and went home with her, fully intending to get to the bottom of Tomoyo's odd behavior.

It was a little amusing, for Sakura decided to play a little guessing game all the while walking to Tomoyo's house.

"You've started doing drugs, haven't you?" Sakura accused.

Tomoyo choked at her best friend's question. "No, I've never even _seen_ drugs, let alone touched them."

Sakura fumbled with the tie on her uniform in thought, her other arm locked with Tomoyo's.

"You're dealing with depression. Have you been cutting yourself?"

"Kami-sama, could you be more morbid, Sakura-chan?!" Tomoyo cried.

"So it's not drugs or depression…it must be a family problem! Did someone die? Is there a relative you don't like visiting town?"

Tomoyo rolled her eyes a little, looking sideways at her friend's determined face.

"No, Sakura-chan, I'm not having any family problems at the moment."

They arrived at Tomoyo's house, but not soon enough for Tomoyo's tastes. She dragged her green-eyed friend to her bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Sakura jumped on the bed, looking curiously at Tomoyo. She crossed her arms and sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed.

"Alright, alright," Tomoyo said, giving in, "I'll tell you what's going on."

Sakura smiled, bouncing up and down on the bed excitedly.

Tomoyo climbed on the bed next to Sakura, growing nervous. The dark-haired girl fiddled with her skirt a little, feeling uncharacteristically childish.

"You see…there's this dream I've been having."

A loud squeal erupted from Sakura, cutting Tomoyo off. The smaller girl threw her arms around her friend in a hug.

"A boy, you've been dreaming about a boy!" Sakura squeaked, "And you like him right?"

Tomoyo pulled back, her eyes wide. She clenched her jaw so that it would not fall open. "Well yes, but it's not like that."

Sakura started to bounce again, but stopped short.

Tomoyo looked at Sakura curiously.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No," Sakura said slowly, "not really. It's just that…I don't know how to say it."

There was nothing Tomoyo could do but stare at Sakura, waiting for her to continue.

"What boy are you dreaming about, Tomoyo-chan? What's his name?" Sakura asked.

"I…don't actually _know_ the boy in my dreams," Tomoyo replied softly, tilting her head down so that her flaming cheeks would not be visible. She wasn't actually lying to Sakura, but she hadn't told her what was honestly on her mind either.

"Oh," Sakura whispered, "I guess I just thought that it was about someone you knew."

Tomoyo nodded, puzzled by what Sakura said. "Is there something wrong, you don't seem so excited anymore."

Sakura shook her head. "No, I don't think there is anything wrong."

Tomoyo thought about why Sakura's mood seemed to have changed so quickly. She didn't see any obvious reason for it. It didn't seem as if something was terribly wrong, but something about the situation seemed to be bothering Sakura.

The Cardcaptor shook her head and her smile returned. "If Tomoyo is having weird dreams, that's not bad. I used to have them too."

Tomoyo gave a weak smile. "If you say so."

Sakura nodded subconsciously. "When did you start having this dream?"

The red flame that so rarely adorned Tomoyo's cheeks did not want to leave. "Last week."

Green eyes blinked a few times. "Last week? So it's recent."

Tomoyo walked to her sowing supplies and acted like she was looking for something. "Yes, but I'm not so sure. It seems so familiar to me, and life-like."

Sakura's face had such an unusual look on it that Tomoyo didn't know if the girl could tell that she had veered to another topic or if she simply found something about Tomoyo having dreams extremely odd.

The dark-haired girl sighed in defeat, giving Sakura a pained look. "I don't know why I'm suddenly so taken up by it. I just barely even notice anyone around me anymore. I've never felt like this before, so swept away by my feelings that I can't even act properly."

Sakura smiled. Tomoyo really was confused, and bad. Sakura recognized the feelings because she herself had felt them back when she had the dreams about Clow, dreams that she could never remember.

"Don't worry Tomoyo, this happens to everyone, trust me." Sakura reassured, giggling.

"What's so funny?" Tomoyo asked softly, feeling the loss of her dignity.

Sakura shrugged a little. "I'm just surprised that the day has come when I have to give _you_ comfort and advice. Usually it's the other way around."

Tomoyo giggled a little. "Yeah, you're right. But you're becoming more experienced than me in life, a lot more experienced. It looks like I'll be needing _your_ help a lot in the near future."

"I'm happy to give it." Sakura replied, smiling. "It's going to be fun doing your job for a little while."

"And it's going to be scary being on the other side of the advice." Tomoyo said, thinking of that boy who had so lately captivated her mind.

"Sakura," She said.

"Hmm?" Sakura questioned.

"Don't tell Syaoran about this."

Sakura winked and put a finger to her lips. "It will be our little secret."

VVV

VictorianPearl: What is going on with this new boy and this new dream?

Eriol: (pouting) It's not fair!

VictorianPearl: Don't be upset. I know you want to be the star of this fiction, but it's time to give Tomoyo a turn.

Eriol: I'll think of a really nasty spell to cast on you.

VictorianPearl: Not if you ever want to star in any of my fictions, you won't.

Eriol: I'm still waiting for that day to come.

VictorianPearl: It will come soon enough. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, everyone.


	3. A Rude Awakening

VictorianPearl: Notes are at the end of the chapter.

Li: Please enjoy!

Eternal Flame

Chapter 3

A Rude Awakening

Around the middle of September, when Tomoyo had been in school for about four weeks, something wonderful and dreadful happened at the same time. She had been assigned to a group research paper in her English class. This was the dreadful part. She had to do an eight page research paper, _in English_, in a group. In her 'group' she was partnered with a boy named Raiden.

This was the second dreadful part.

Although Raiden was nice, and not at all dreadful, Tomoyo sighed as she glanced across the class at Keung. She was with a boy, she was just with the _wrong_ boy. Being paired with Raiden ended up being a good thing though.

"Hello Tomoyo-chan." Raiden said as he moved to the seat next to her once he was assigned to work with her. "Do you want to go to the library after school sometime and start our research?"

This was the good part. And although Tomoyo wasn't one to slack off while doing homework, Raiden's first language was English, giving them an edge on their research paper. Now the dark-haired girl was (practically) guaranteed a good grade on her paper, _and_ she would get to see Keung after school…hopefully.

It was through this series of events that Tomoyo ended up in the library after school with Raiden on a Wednesday in the middle of September (even though the paper wasn't due until the middle of November). The girl got a headache just thinking about it, so she didn't. She ever so discreetly found a way to work seeing Keung into her study time.

"I was thinking, Raiden-kun." Tomoyo started, tapping her pencil on the blank page of her notebook. "Maybe we should ask the librarian for help with our research, ne? Perhaps we could get our books a lot faster that way."

Raiden, being the good student he was, did not object.

Tomoyo practically pranced to the front desk where Keung was reading a book.

"Hello," Tomoyo said gently, interrupting the boy's reading.

Keung looked up at her slowly with his wide brown eyes that made her melt inside. "Hello, how I can I be of service?"

Tomoyo motioned to Raiden. "My friend and I have to do a research paper on an English poet. Are there any books here that we could use?"

"I know we have a few, I'll just check the computer to see if they're on the shelves." He gave Tomoyo a wink that gave her a blush she could not hide.

Keung sat back as the computer loaded the search results. "Is it alright if I write down the names of the poets we have for you?"

Tomoyo nodded enthusiastically. "Please,"

Keung grabbed a piece of notepaper and began scribbling down a few names. He paused in the middle of writing and slowly raised his gaze to Tomoyo. She forced herself to breath properly.

"Daidouji-san…" He shook his head and returned to what he was writing.

"Is something wrong?" Tomoyo asked, concern leaking through her voice.

"Well," Keung paused again and met Tomoyo's gaze fully. "It's just…you're good at English, right? It's the third language I'm trying to tackle and I'm having some trouble…"

Tomoyo blinked. Opportunity was open, and it was time to take it.

"Do you need help?" The dark-haired girl asked gently.

Keung offered a weak smile. "Just a little."

Tomoyo smiled. "So…do you want to meet here sometime and study?"

Keung frowned slightly. "That's the problem, I have to work every day after school. I'm only free on weekends, so I'll understand if you don't want to-"

"It's no problem." Tomoyo said quickly. She mentally smacked herself, but the interest of her affection just laughed.

After exchanging the time and place they would meet that weekend, Tomoyo bounced back to the table where Raiden was, list in her hand.

"Did you find a good poet?" Raiden asked expectantly.

"I sure did."

~.~.~

"Tomoyo-chan, you seem to be in an awfully good mood, ne?" Sakura told her friend at lunch on Friday.

Said girl just shrugged as she set her chopsticks inside of her empty lunchbox. "I guess I'm just happy for the weekend."

"Get to the mall tomorrow at noon." Syaoran commanded passionately. "Yamazaki and I are going to have a DDR war."

Sakura rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. "It's just fun and games, don't get upset."

"You don't want me to have to restrain you again, do you?" Eriol said, referring to a time that Syaoran got a little _too_ serious about a 'fun' game of DDR.

Syaoran shuddered and glared at Eriol. "I don't need you telling me what to do."

"Actually, I'm going to be busy tomorrow at noon…but I can hang out later in the day." Tomoyo mentioned casually.

"What?!" Syaoran exclaimed, looked unusually upset.

"What do you have going on, Tomoyo-chan?" Eriol asked.

"I have to go out to lunch with my mom." Tomoyo said glancing at Sakura and giving her an I-don't-really-have-lunch-with-my-mom-but-I-have-better-things-to-do-than-watch-Syaoran-play-DDR look.

Sakura, as in love with her boyfriend as she was, completely understood her best friend. "It's alright Syaoran, when we see her later you can tell her all about how you beat Takashi-kun."

This was enough to make Syaoran smile and sling an arm around his girlfriend. "I guess it's alright then."

Sakura sent Tomoyo a wink. She smiled in return.

Later that night Tomoyo drifted into sleep easily, excited for her study session with Keung the next day. Her emotions swirled inside of her and she sighed softly against her pillow, dreams overtaking her.

~.~.~

_Artemis was in a bad mood. That was a light way of putting it. She was angry with her brother, who seemed to be in a bad mood himself. As a brother and sister, Artemis and Apollo had often gotten along. As twins they had shared a special type of bond. But for the past few days, something was off._

_Wherever Artemis went, Apollo seemed to be lurking nearby. Whatever she did he seemed to be watching. He seemed to get some kind of sick enjoyment out of being her unnamed protector and it drove her mad. She was the great goddess Artemis. She could take care of herself._

_The goddess took her dogs out to hunt, trying to replace her anger with enjoyment. It wasn't long before Apollo interrupted her. But something was wrong._

_The ocean was stretched before her._

_A target was in the distance._

_The string of her bow gave a musical sound upon releasing an arrow._

_The water darkened with blood._

Eyes shot open. Her lips parted to try and breath in air. The room was bathed in cool moonlight but she was so hot. The blankets were suffocating. Dark hair swirled against the pillows as she kicked off the blankets and sat against the headboard. The cool air felt good against her skin and she settled a little.

Tomoyo's calm hadn't set in long before a panic took over her. Her breath became shallow, her chest heaved and her eyes widened. She sat up on her knees and leaned forward to clutch the twisted blankets, attempting to stabilize herself.

"Mom, Sakura, someone, I need your help. What's going on? I need help." Tomoyo whispered.

She jumped off her bed and began to pace, but felt immediately uncomfortable and jumped back on her bed. Tomoyo squeezed her eyes shut, and when she reopened them, a blue butterfly was floating in front of her face.

Tomoyo paused in her delusion, unconsciously holding her breath. She reached out and ever so gently touched her finger to the butterfly's wing. The butterfly burst into blue sparks and Eriol landed right on her bed.

Tomoyo gasped and fell back onto her pillows, her panic replaced by surprise.

"E-Eriol-kun?" Tomoyo questioned tentatively.

Eriol gave his usual mysterious smile.

"Your distress signal was so loud that I'm surprised I'm the first to arrive."

"Distress signal…" Tomoyo said blankly, not understanding her friend.

"You were sending off some violent vibes." He replied, nodding at her.

"But-but…what?" Tomoyo stuttered.

She was slowly becoming more aware of how nothing was making sense. She was also becoming more aware that the little straps of her nightgown were sliding down her shoulders.

"Eep!" Tomoyo squealed, gripping her nightgown at her chest to keep it from falling any lower.

"Eriol-kun," She cried, frustrated that he was peering at her with that wicked smile and vivid eyes.

Tomoyo made to grab the blanket and cover herself up, but couldn't because Eriol was sitting on it. She tugged mightily, but he merely sat there, smiling with what she called his 'evil smile'. The smile that meant he was up to no good.

"Eriol-kun, give-it-back!"

Eriol jumped up as Tomoyo pulled wildly at the sheet, causing her to go flying off of the bed. She landed with a hard _thud_ on the floor, legs flailing up in the air.

"Having trouble?" Eriol asked, smirking as he watched the lovely girl grow cuter with her frustration.

"No, thank you." Tomoyo said, untangling herself from the blanket and standing up quickly.

The young magician's face became more serious. He sat up at the edge of Tomoyo's bed and patted the spot next to him.

"Sit love, let's have a little chat."

Tomoyo couldn't help but stare somewhat oddly at Eriol. Although she had never seen Clow, she guessed that Eriol looked quite like him right now. His usual smirking, blue eyes were softer and natural. Even his usual 'evil smile' had been replaced with a small genuine one. The somewhat 'mature' immaturity that Eriol carried was gone and he now seemed very wise.

So it was no wonder that Tomoyo sat down obligingly, completely forgetting (and caring) about her attire.

"I'm not sure what this is." Eriol started, sighing a little. "It could be magic that has been dormant inside of you, magic that was placed inside of you, or even a spell that was cast upon you. Whatever it is though, we need to figure out soon to keep you, and those around you safe."

A blank look played upon Tomoyo's face. She thought over what Eriol said for a time.

"Magic…me? Why me?" She said, searching Eriol's face for answers.

He closed his eyes for a moment in thought. "I really don't know much, as much as it pains me to say. But I will help you, we just need to keep this a secret between you and I." Eriol said, glasses flashing.

Tomoyo became suspicious, and with good reason.

"Why should this be a secret? Why can't Sakura and Syaoran know?"

Eriol regained his usual smirk and demeanor. "I will tell you everything in time, I promise. For now though, get some rest."

And before Tomoyo could respond, Eriol vanished.

~.~.~

VictorianPearl: Wow Eriol, I knew you were a little creepy, but this really crosses the line!

Li: You disgust me.

Eriol: Hey, it's not my fault that Vic likes to write me in scenes that include Tomoyo wearing lacey nightgowns.

VictorianPearl: Guilty as charged. Anyway, the dream expands! What will happen next? Stay tuned for more updates.


	4. The Mind's Echoes

VictorianPearl: Ta da, hope you enjoy.

Li: Notes are at the end of the chapter.

Eternal Flame

Chapter 4

The Mind's Echoes

It was Saturday morning, and as Tomoyo walked to the Tomoeda library, she thought on the events of the previous night. She had had another dream about the myth and the ocean. Even more strange, she had had a dream about…Eriol? Or had that part been a dream? Her memory was grey and she couldn't remember.

Tomoyo shrugged though and she smoothed her light floating skirt and fitted white shirt. A groan escaped her as she did so. She had finally come to terms with her feelings for Keung. So what if she had a _crush_ on him. That was completely normal. Maybe it would stay, or go away, or even turn into something more, but it was too early to tell. She tried not to think of how her feelings and her odd dreams of myths and Eriol somehow correlated.

Once Tomoyo arrived at the library she entered through the doors slowly, glancing to see if Keung had arrived. Sure enough, he was sitting at a table with his English book open, gazing down at the text. As if feeling her gaze on him, he looked up and caught her eye. He broke into a wide smile. Heart fluttering, Tomoyo returned the smile and joined him at the table.

"Hi, Chan-kun," She said softly.

"Hi, Daidouji-chan," He softly replied.

"So…what do you need help with?"

Keung blushed a little and stared down at his book. "I'm having so much trouble with my particles."

Tomoyo giggled softly causing Keung to look up quickly and feign hurt. "Don't be mean."

"Alright, alright," Tomoyo said, still giggling. "Let's start."

The two worked on particles for an hour. Tomoyo couldn't ever remember having enjoyed studying particles so much before. She just liked to glance at Keung's face as he concentrated, and she thought it was cute when he would mess up and get embarrassed. Tomoyo blanched at herself internally.

'_I'm such a creep, thinking about him like this! I hope I'm being more discreet than I feel I'm being.'_

If he noticed anything though, he didn't show it.

"I'm tired of particles." Keung announced, shutting his English book. "Do you want to go to the mall and get some ice cream?"

Was he asking her on a _date_?

"Yes! I mean no…not at the mall." Tomoyo finished quietly.

Keung quirked an eyebrow at her. "What's wrong with the mall?"

Tomoyo couldn't tell him that she didn't want her friends to know about her crush on him. "Well…it's Syaoran. He's really obsessed with playing Dance Dance Revolution at the arcade in the mall."

"Is he the one Yamazaki-kun always beats?" Keung asked.

Tomoyo nodded wearily. "I can't take it, listening to the corny music. And Syaoran always looses his temper when he's defeated."

Keung simply laughed. "Alright, we won't go to the mall for ice cream. Anywhere else you have in mind?"

~.~.~

It was just her luck that something like this would happen. She wanted to laugh at herself, or cry. She had seemingly proved that dodging fate was nearly impossible.

Tomoyo and Keung entered a local ice cream shop near the library. When they passed through the door Tomoyo had looked up to see none other than Eriol Hiirigizawa. She feigned a delighted surprise rather than an unpleasant one.

"Eriol-kun, it's good to see you." Tomoyo said. "I thought you would be at the mall with Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun."

"I could say the same for you." Eriol said lightly, but his eyes held a playful look. "I've been sent by Nakuru to pick up a gallon of rocky road."

"I don't believe we've been introduced." Keung interjected, stepping forward.

Tomoyo mentally scolded herself. "Oh, Chan-kun, this is Eriol Hiirigizawa. Eriol-kun, this is Keung Chan."

The two boys shook hands. The air around them seemed to waver for a moment. Tomoyo _felt_ more than she saw the waver and blinked many times at their clasped hands.

"Nice to meet you." Keung said.

"And you." Eriol replied.

"Number 84," A girl called from behind the counter.

"That's my number." Eriol announced, going up to the counter and grabbing a gallon tub of rocky road ice cream.

Tomoyo studied his smile as he walked past her on his way out. "I'll see you later then?"

He brushed her arm ever so lightly with his fingertips, sending sensations through her skin that reminded her of blue butterflies. She glanced down at her arm where he had touched her and goose bumps were rising. How strange.

"Do you like it?"

Tomoyo was startled by the question. She looked up at Keung quickly, ready to confess all her inner feelings. But she followed his gaze and saw that he was staring at a banana split another couple was sharing.

"Yes," Tomoyo answered slowly, "I do like it."

Even with their surprise run-in with Eriol, it didn't put a stop to Keung and Tomoyo enjoying their ice cream. She was happy when they agreed on the flavor of the scoops, and was even more pleased when he let her choose the toppings. As they sat and laughed with each other the more they ate (and the more sugar entered their bloodstream) Tomoyo couldn't help but feel that his really _was_ a date. Of course, _she_ wouldn't way anything that might ruin such a wonderful day.

After their ice cream, Keung insisted on walking Tomoyo home. Part of Tomoyo believed that he just wanted to know where she lived so that he could visit her any time. As freaked out as she might have been if it were any other guy, she wasn't because it was Keung. She wanted him to know where she lived so that he would stop by unexpectedly and visit her. As she had heard Chiharu say before, _'It's not stalking if you like it.'_

Tomoyo mentally smacked herself, not the first time that day.

"We're here." Tomoyo announced as she stopped in front of the gates to her house.

"Wow," Keung breathed, "this is some place you've got."

Tomoyo blushed and glanced at her home. "Yes well, it's too big for just me and my mom. It gets lonely sometimes."

She peered innocently at Keung, but he didn't catch her meaning.

"Thanks again for helping me with English." Keung said, smiling.

"And thanks for buying me ice cream." Tomoyo said, smiling back.

Keung grabbed Tomoyo's left hand with both of his in an unexpectedly bold gesture. The girl's breath caught and the blood rushed to her cheeks. Somewhat uncomfortably though, the fingers on her right hand began to pulse.

"Would you mind meeting again next weekend?" Keung asked tentatively.

"No," Tomoyo said, shaking her head. "I wouldn't mind at all."

The dark-haired girl drew her right hand behind her back to hide her uncontrollably twitching fingers. It felt as if her fingers would tear themselves from her hand. She just focused on Keung's eyes and tried to ignore it.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, reaching up to touch her face.

Pain exploded in her fingers. She slammed her eyes shut only to see blood. An ocean full of blood. She remembered strong arms hugging her, although she knew she had never been held that way before. She remembered soft lips kissing hers, even though she had never kissed anyone before. She remembered anger, pain, and more blood. He was laughing at her pain…Apollo? No, someone else.

"Tomoyo!"

Her eyes locked onto Keung's worried ones. He held her face in both of his hands. They stayed standing still for a moment, just like that. As Tomoyo allowed her mind to work again, she became more aware of his hands on her face, and how close he was to her. She tried to breathe in deeply.

"I think I might be sick." Tomoyo lied quietly.

She was somewhere between feeling terrified of going back to that place in her mind and feeling light headed because Keung was so close to her. She didn't know what to do, so she just fell forward and he caught her in an embrace.

"I'll walk you inside, alright?" Keung said gently.

"Thank you," Tomoyo whispered.

Even though her heart was beating hard from both fear and contact with the boy she liked, Tomoyo couldn't seem to focus on what was going on. She kept thinking back to earlier at the ice cream shop when Eriol had lightly brushed his fingers against her skin and to just a few moments ago when Keung had called out her name. _Only_ her name.

~.~.~

VictorianPearl: Hmm, things are getting stranger.

Li: But the chapter can't be over yet. Now I have more questions than I do answers.

VictorianPearl: But you don't have _any _answers.

Li: Exactly.

VictorianPearl: I'm sorry, but you'll just have to wait until the next chapter, when Tomoyo's secret crush becomes not-so-secret. ;)


	5. Throw Me a Curve Ball

VictorianPearl: Now presenting, chapter 5!

Eternal Flame

Chapter 5

Throw Me a Curve Ball

Tomoyo tried not to feel embarrassed every second of every day. Four days had already gone by since she had collapsed outside her house while standing with Keung. It was time to get over it, but she couldn't help feeling dumb every time she was around him now, even though he had told her not to. It was like she wanted to impress him somehow, but was failing miserably.

"I've been working on my Japanese a lot lately." Raiden told Tomoyo.

The two were in the library again, working on their paper for English. Although Tomoyo was fairly decent at English, it was taking her much longer to do her part. She glanced up from her notebook and eyed Raiden's bright features.

"I have this new pen pal." The blond explained. "He isn't Japanese, but he practices writing to me in Japanese. But he might be a she, I can't tell by the name…"

Although she didn't usually tune her friends out, Tomoyo couldn't help it as her attention went to Keung, who was walking by with the book cart. Symptom one of infatuation: your heart starts beating like crazy. Symptom two: your face heats up when he glances your way and smiles. Symptom three: you can't think any coherent thought and you're sure that you're making a fool of yourself but you won't realize it until much later.

It was great, having these crushes, just spectacular.

"Tomoyo-chan?" Raiden questioned softly.

"I think it's great that you're practicing your written Japanese, Raiden-kun." Tomoyo replied quickly. "But let's finish up this English paper really quick, okay?"

Raiden smiled widely. Somehow, Tomoyo thought he was a little too enthusiastic about the pen pal situation than he should have been. But if he was actually excited about something that _wasn't_ centered around side-glances and weak smiles, she wasn't going to say anything to ruin it for him.

Later that night, Raiden would be writing back to his pen pal. Sakura would go to bed early after her cheerleading practice. Syaoran would study late and Tomoyo would actually sleep a dreamless sleep. But someone else would dream. Magic would bubble up and make itself un-ignorable once again. Magic would come and make everything much more difficult again, because life's just not interesting if someone isn't suffering.

~*~

All was dark. There was a large room crowded with shelves and cases. Bottles and metals gleamed faintly from a very dim light up ahead. As the room went farther back the space opened up more and more. The dim light was a candle.

And by the candle there was a man.

Only the back of him could be seen, but he appeared young by the look of his skin and clothes. He wore a dark shirt with jeans. The dim light reflected off of his dark hair.

The young man was very busy around a dim ball of magic, floating above a table. He could barely be heard muttering.

"More…better…needs something…kill…"

The ball of magic flashed green and settled into a turquoise. The young man chuckled at the reaction.

Eriol shot up quickly, breathing heavily. A light sweat was on his forehead. He pushed himself up from the piano that he had been draped over in sleep. His whole body tingled with that familiar, invigorating sensation. Magic that felt like electricity crackled in his veins.

"Clow, you're hiding something from me."

~*~

Tomoyo arrived to school early the next morning. It was already warm and sunny, promising signs of a hot day. She found Sakura, Syaoran, and Eriol talking under the shade of a tree. She ran to her friends.

"Good morning Tomoyo-chan." Sakura said happily. She frowned as she saw Tomoyo's face. "What's wrong?"

"My mom's making me leave town with her tonight for a company dinner." Tomoyo explained, her brows knitted. "She wants me to stay overnight with her so we can spend some time on the town tomorrow, but I can't miss school. She doesn't seem to care that I'll fall behind."

Syaoran raised an eyebrow at the upset girl. "But tomorrow's Friday, so you'll only miss one day."

"It's still so early in the semester though." Tomoyo said, her voice rising in pitch. "If I fall behind now I'll never catch up."

The dark-haired girl clasped her hands together as she thought on her situation. Sakura smiled and patted her friend on the back. "Don't worry, we'll e-mail you your homework."

"Really?" Tomoyo asked hopefully, gazing at her friends each in turn with the widest cutest eyes she could possibly make.

"Sorry, but I won't be able to help you." Eriol laughed scratching the back of his head. "I'm going to be leaving tonight too, to England."

"England?" Syaoran questioned skeptically, glaring at the navy-haired boy. "Why are you going there? Planning on recreating some old flings?"

Sakura nudged Syaoran lightly in the arm, trying to give him warning with her eyes. Eriol didn't seem to mind that Syaoran had just uprooted memories of a former love extremely blatantly though. He just shook his head.

"No, I'm going for some personal business." He fumbled with his tie a bit and Tomoyo found it odd that he would do so. "I'll be back for school on Monday, though."

"Me too." Tomoyo said, smiling at him and hoping that Syaoran hadn't _actually_ managed to do some emotional damage to Eriol.

"We'll be lonely without you." Sakura said, grabbing each of her friends' hands.

"Yeah," Syaoran agreed half heartedly, "we sure will."

The boy in question did miss Tomoyo a little the next day. Class began and her seat was empty of her attentive form. There was nobody there to discuss the lectures with while between the classes, or check notes with during lunch. Syaoran was glad to have Eriol gone though. It was like the world agreed with him. The weather wasn't too hot. The birds were chirping. He got a test back with one-hundred percent. It was wonderful.

Syaoran knew that things wouldn't be this good for long though, so on Friday night, he took Sakura out on a date. It was just the two of them. Nobody was spying on them, or trying to call them and interrupt their date or cast a spell. It was actually kind of _normal_. Sakura seemed to be more into the date as well, not looking over her shoulder warily for a camera lens.

After the dinner, Syaoran gently took Sakura's hand and led her out of the restaurant. She was absolutely glowing. Her gaze was such a loving one as she looked in his eyes. The moment was so right, and Syaoran thought that maybe, just maybe, tonight would be the night. You know, that special night that you look forward to for most of your teenage life and possibly longer. The night where she looks at you and tells you she's decided she's ready now and that she'll love you forever and can't wait another moment.

But as usual, that thought was mercilessly crushed as the couple ran into Raiden outside of the restaurant. Reality bitterly returned to Syaoran as he realized that tonight was not _the _night, and that _that_ night would probably not come until _after_ they were married. But a guy could dream.

"Raiden-kun, it's good to see you." Sakura greeted.

Raiden returned the greeting. "Hello Sakura-chan, Syaoran-kun, it's good to see you. I was just heading home."

"So were we." Sakura said happily. "We should walk together."

Syaoran groaned internally. Of course they should walk together. The night wouldn't be complete if they didn't.

"How was your date?" Raiden questioned after a few minutes of walking.

"It was wonderful." Syaoran said in a dreamy voice, remembering how well things had been going.

Sakura giggled a little, knowing what Syaoran was thinking. Her giggle was cut short as a wave of magic washed over her. Syaoran protectively brought his girlfriend closer to him as he sharply glanced around the open street. Raiden took a step closer to his two friends.

"Guys, what's going on?"

Sakura glanced around the street that was now eerily still. She recognized this spell. "Is…is time frozen?" She glanced at Raiden. "But you're just fine."

"I'm fine? Don't you mean _you're _fine?" Raiden questioned, giving Syaoran and Sakura a puzzled look.

"We can all explain later." Syaoran said firmly. "Right now we need to find out who is casting this spell and why."

A tingling sensation ripped through Sakura's body and she shoved Syaoran and herself to the ground, barely evading a magical shot.

"What is this?" Sakura questioned out loud, a slight panic seeping into her voice.

"Sakura, your wand." Syaoran said, summoning his own sword.

"Right," The green-eyed girl replied, summoning her star wand.

Raiden summoned his own sword. Electric bolts shot out of it as it was summoned into the blond's hands. He smiled at Sakura and Syaoran. "I've got a weapon of my own."

Another buzz of magical energy buzzed in the magicians' bodies and they dodged another shot of magical energy. Sakura summoned The Fly and rose with the still lights of the buildings, searching for their attacker. She swerved around each shot so close she could feel the energy's waves rippling over her wings.

Meanwhile, the two boys on the ground dodged the attack.

"There's no way to fight this." Syaoran gritted through his teeth, diving into a summersault to avoid another magical shot.

"Sakura," Raiden yelled, "any luck?"

In the air, Sakura was frustrated. "Show yourself, I'm warning you."

The Fight and The Arrow jumped out in the middle of the street. They looked just like Sakura's cards, but they were more like shadowy figures, dark and foreboding. Arrow wasted no time pulling its bow and shooting at Raiden. The blond's quick reflexes allowed him to slice the arrow in half, but just barely.

Syaoran gripped his sword even tighter, glaring at Fight as it circled him. He had practiced sparring with Sakura's Fight before, but he didn't know if this Fight would be the same. He lunged at it and struck with his fist, making contact with Fight. The first hit was easy, but Fight broke out into a furry of attacks, making Syaoran work for his own attacks.

Sakura began to dive back down to the street. She watched as Raiden summoned lightning bolts after Arrow. It ran from the trailing lightning bolts, scorching the ground at Arrow's heels. The magical being turned quickly and released it's arrow, hitting Raiden in the shoulder.

The blond cried out in pain as he was knocked off his feet. He hit the ground with an audible _crack_. Sakura looked at her friend in horror as he did not get up. She didn't have time to react though, because as soon as Raiden was down, Arrow turned it's bow on her.

Screaming, Sakura twisted in the air to avoid the arrow aimed at her. This caught Syaoran's attention and he managed to summon a wind that carried him closer to his girlfriend. They both eyed the two cards…or whatever they were, with caution.

"This is bad." Sakura whispered.

"Don't worry Sakura," Syaoran said breathily to her, "we can do it." He offered her an I'm-ready-for-a-challenge smile that she could only return.

"Just like old times, ne?" Sakura said, turning her focus back to the two not-Sakura cards.

The two magicians lunged at their opponents, unleashing their magical attacks. Fire erupted around Fight and thunderbolts struck Arrow. The two attacks combined into a large explosion.

Sakura raised her arms over her face, shielding herself from the harsh wave of heat and smoke. Syaoran quickly ran in front of her and raised his sword, ready for his enemy to come running out of the smoke at any moment. Sakura gripped her wand tightly. She felt that she became paused in time as well. She wished for a moment that Tomoyo wasn't at her mother's company dinner, or that Eriol wasn't in England, so that someone could help unconscious Raiden.

The moment passed and time flowed for Sakura again. The smoke cleared and the enemy's outline could be seen in the distance. She heard Raiden stirring behind her. The enemy jumped, flipping through the air. Sakura startled as Syaoran's sword ricocheted off the ground, emitting a clear metallic sound. The figure landed on the ground in front of Syaoran.

Sakura startled.

"Meiling!"

Meiling stood with a high head and a small smirk. Her sleeved arms were crossed over her chest. The yin-yang symbol shinned in the moonlight upon her short dress.

Sakura smiled and clutched her wand to her chest. She was so happy her odango-haired friend had arrived.

"I thought you might need my help." Meiling said, looking her surprised cousin up and down.

"Meiling…what are you doing here?" Syaoran gasped.

The Chinese girl crossed her arms and glared at her cousin. "Is that the welcome I get?"

The smoke from the street cleared and the Fight and Arrow were both gone. The tingling sensation of magic left. Time was flowing again. Sakura sighed in relief.

Syaoran clenched his fists. "They've gone. Did we even get them?"

"What was that about?" Meiling asked to no one in particular, sharing her cousin's annoyance at the foes' disappearance.

Sakura ran to Raiden's side, who was still splayed in the middle of the street. She could vaguely hear Syaoran mumbling to Meiling, briefly informing her about their random encounter.

Sakura sat on her legs and managed to pull Raiden onto her lap. He had a semi-deep wound running down the side of his forehead as well as his shoulder. His blond bangs were stained red with blood, as was his shirt. Sakura grabbed the edge of her skirt and dabbed away at the dried blood around the wound.

Raiden's face scrunched up a little and his eyes barely cracked open.

"Sakura?" He mumbled, barely audible.

"Well, it seems you will live, Raiden-kun." Sakura said brightly. "It's too bad that you will be meeting one of my good friends, Syaoran's cousin, while you are like this."

"Cousin…?" Raiden asked, eyes opening wider to reveal his bright blue eyes.

A startled Sakura wasn't sure what to do when her American friend began to push himself off of her lap into standing position.

"Raiden, what are you doing?" Sakura asked, helping to support him on his two feet.

He didn't reply though, he just stumbled around a bit, looking around the street. Raiden rubbed his bloody bangs out of his face. He caught sight of Meiling before stumbling forward a bit. Sakura had to put a hand on his chest to keep him from falling forward.

Meiling began to slowly walk toward Sakura and Raiden.

"Is that…? Are you…? Raiden?!" Meiling cried.

The Chinese girl ran forward and jumped into the inured boy's arms, nearly knocking him off his feat. Sakura pushed on Raiden's back with both of her hands, attempting to keep the two of them from falling over.

"Raiden, you need to sit!" Sakura cried.

She was a little worried for her friend, but now she was more confused and shocked as well. Realization soon dawned on Sakura though, and she began to smile, glancing at her gaping boyfriend.

"HE is your pen-pal?" Syaoran cried, clutching his sword a little more tightly than usual.

The two weren't even listening though. Raiden and Meiling were rapidly talking to each other, asking fast questions.

"I can't believe you're here! But not Ling, _Mei_-ling," Raiden started.

"A nickname…sort of. Anyway, I thought that my favorite cousin was lonely, so I needed to come to Japan to keep him company. I didn't expect such a welcome though." Meiling replied, glancing down the street where the explosion had taken place.

"But you knew that _I_ was here!"

"I wanted to surprise you. I was even surprised to see you this soon."

Sakura appeared next to her boyfriend, sensing his agitated state.

"I think it's time to deactivate your sword." Sakura suggested.

Syaoran just continued to stare at his cousin and friend.

~*~

VictorianPearl: Yay, this chapter was longer than the last one, so I hope you enjoyed it.

Li: Okay, what was with the random plot twists?

VictorianPearl: I don't know. Actually, I do, but I'm not telling _you_, Li ;P Don't worry, all of these weird events will be better understood in the next chapter!

Li: You always say that X_X


	6. Finding Answers

VictorianPearl: School may have tried to conquer me with its essays, tests, and term papers, but I prevailed!

Li: Good for you.

VictorianPearl: You don't sound nearly as excited as I hoped you would.

Eternal Flame

Chapter 6

Finding Answers

"You have some explaining to do."

Raiden and Meiling both stared sheepishly back at Syaoran's intense gaze. Both the Chinese girl's and the blond's gazes went to Sakura, who shrugged before glancing at her boyfriend. Meiling had a small smirk on her face due to her cousin's anger. Raiden looked unusually pale under his bloody hair and forehead.

"I took a plane from China to Japan, and arrived with impeccable timing." Meiling said, smiling.

"I wasn't talking to _you_…yet." Syaoran told his cousin.

"You have some explaining to do as well." Raiden said, holding his ground. "If I explain I want you to explain too."

"Fine," Syaoran agreed, "but you're going first."

"Fine,"

Meiling and Sakura shared a quick glance before turning their attention back to the boys.

Raiden sighed and looked down at his bandaged shoulder. "My family has always been able to use magic, more specifically, lightning and thunder magic. Our line can be traced back to Europe. In America…there are all sorts of magic from different places. I've always had to be very careful to keep my magic a secret. You are the first outside of my family to see me use my magic."

"We're so lucky!" Meiling exclaimed. She almost seemed as if she were gong to grab Raiden's hand, but she pulled her own hands to her chest. The change in direction may have been due to how badly wounded Raiden was or possibly due to Syaoran's twitching eye.

"Earlier, I didn't hesitate to use my magic. I don't know why, I just knew that I could trust you, especially seeing that you were using magic of your own." Raiden continued.

Sakura's eyebrows knitted. "It makes me wonder who that was. It couldn't have been Eriol, but then who else could it have been?"

Syaoran frowned, but not his usual Eriol-was-mentioned-in-the-conversation-and-now-I'm-unhappy frown, it was a weary frown. "He's in England though…or at least that's what he told us."

Sakura's eyes widened. "You think he lied?"

Raiden wasn't so sure what Eriol had to do with the situation, but by the way Syaoran and Sakura were looking at each other, it couldn't be good. He didn't want to change topics, but he was getting confused.

"Eriol?" He questioned.

Meiling gestured toward Sakura. "I think it's your turn."

Sakura tore her gaze away from Syaoran and offered Raiden a smile. "It's a long story, so I'll try and give you the short version. Meiling can tell you more later if you like. Basically, I found a magic book in my father's basement with a flying stuffed animal unsuccessfully guarding it. The book released magic cards that ran around creating havoc in town and I had to stop them. Tomoyo made me wear costumes, Sayoran hated my guts, and one year later I had finally captured all of the cards. _Then_ Eriol showed up, who was really the reincarnation of the creator of the cards, was creepy and made me pass all sorts of weird 'tests' that made my magic stronger, blah blah blah, about seven years later and here we are."

Meiling pretended to cough violently in order to hide her laugh. Sakura was gasping for breath and Raiden just looked shocked…even more so than he already had. Syaoran gave Meiling and odd look that practically spelled out I-know-that's-not-a-tickle-in-your-throat.

"I'll just ask you about the rest a different time." Raiden whispered to Meiling, who continued to cough.

"You see Raiden, Eriol is the only other person with a connection to the cards." Sakura explained. "Back there, we must have fought Time, Fight, Arrow, and maybe Shot. Only he knows what those cards are…but I just don't think it could have been him."

"It could be another 'test'." Syaoran grumbled. "Maybe he's just bored, who knows?"

Meiling shook her head and placed a hand gently on Raiden's leg. "No, he wouldn't have harmed someone over boredom. Even I am convinced of that much."

Silence fell on the room. Nobody knew what to say or do.

"How am I going to explain this to my parents?" Raiden moaned.

"Maybe you could stay here." Meiling suggested, shooting Syaoran a look before he could say anything. "And just tell your parents you're staying with friends. It would be true."

Raiden look hesitantly at Syaoran. "Would you let me?"

Syaoran made the mistake of glancing at Sakura's wide and shining eyes. He sighed with defeat. "It's fine."

"Thanks," Raiden said, smiling.

Syaoran softened a little and smiled back. "It seems like we're in this together from now on, whatever _this_ may be."

~*~

"What?!?!" Tomoyo shouted.

Sakura held the phone at arms length away.

"You were attacked?!"

"Yes Tomoyo-chan, and Raiden got mixed up in it too."

"Raiden-kun? Is he alright?"

"He'll live." Sakura said, thinking lightly on how he and Meiling had hugged. "That's not the worst part though."

Tomoyo listened intently. She was sitting on the hotel room bed. Her mother was out.

"We were attacked by the cards, or at least what looked like the cards." Sakura said breathily. "They were kind of foggy and dark. There was Time, Fight, Arrow, and Shot."

Tomoyo froze. Time, a long time ago. Fight, the fight Apollo felt he had with Orion, or between Artemis and Apollo. Arrow, shining silver. Shot, a swift whistling through the dark ending with a _thud_.

"And these cards attacked _you_?" Tomoyo whispered, almost hoping to be proven wrong.

"Yes Tomoyo-chan, I just said that." Sakura said, sounding confused. "They attacked me, Syaoran, and Raiden."

The connections between the cards and the dreams and visions couldn't be something that Tomoyo made up, could they be? But why attack Sakura and Syaoran? Why use cards?

"Who could have done this?" Tomoyo asked, not realizing that she was speaking out loud.

"Syaoran thinks it might have been Eriol." Sakura said.

The image of a dream, or maybe a memory, came into Tomoyo's mind. It was of Eriol, sitting on her bed. Looking at her with those eyes that were wise and solemn. She remembered him telling her about magic. But the magic that Tomoyo was supposed to be under didn't explain her friends being attacked.

"I don't think it was him. I can't believe it would have been him."

"That's what I said." Sakura agreed. "Eriol wouldn't have harmed his friends, and Raiden sure got hurt tonight."

As Sakura went into further detail, Tomoyo found that she was only half listening. The other half of her was thinking of all the things she had been experiencing, and how none of them made any sense. There was only one thing left to do. She needed to talk to Eriol. She had been avoiding it for a while, but that had to stop. He was the only one who might have an idea.

Seeing as Eriol was still in London though, that discussion would have to wait until Monday. She didn't want to be self centered, but Tomoyo had a vague feeling that this new enemy wanted her, and everything else was just a distraction.

~*~

Monday morning took what seemed like forever to arrive. Once it did arrive though, Tomoyo found herself being forced with an onslaught of new events and emotions that tried to distract her from her goal. No matter what though, she promised herself that she would find Eriol and talk to him before the end of the day. And she _would_ get answers.

Tomoyo walked to school with Sakura and Syaoran, as usual, but this day Meiling joined them as well. Said girl was extremely giddy as she skipped in front of everyone.

As they entered the building, Meiling smoothed out her new Tomoeda uniform. Syaoran began to grumble when he saw how close Meiling's locker was to Raiden's (there were only two lockers between them). The Chinese girl smiled widely as she put her books away, seemingly oblivious to the fact that her cousin was upset.

Sakura whispered a little harshly to Syaoran, "Don't be mean Syaoran, you and Raiden-kun are good friends!"

Tomoyo saw Syaoran's nose crinkle a little before his face fell and he nodded in agreement to his girlfriend. Sakura smiled and gave her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek.

The five-minute bell rang. Sakura, Syaoran, and Tomoyo closed their locker to find Meiling gone. They saw a flash of her odangos as she rounded the corner into the classroom.

"Did I miss something?"

Tomoyo and Sakura glanced behind them to find Eriol with an interesting look on his face, staring at the door Syaoran had just jumped through. The dark-haired girl suddenly felt even more anxious.

"Syaoran-kun is dealing with Meiling-chan liking Raiden-kun." Tomoyo explained slowly.

Eriol smiled and his glasses flashed. "I think I would like to see this."

Giggles erupted from Sakura. Tomoyo rolled her eyes at Eriol's back as he walked ahead of them to the classroom. All of a sudden the green-eyed girl's giggles ceased and her eyes narrowed at Tomoyo.

"Speaking of boys…" Sakura trailed, smirking a little.

Tomoyo crossed her arms. She had a feeling that Sakura would be asking questions soon concerning Keung. Tomoyo didn't say anything though, she just grabbed onto Sakura's wrist.

"Come on, we'll be late for class."

Tomoyo smiled at her friend. It was about time to stop hiding all of her secrets.

~*~

Class went by slowly…painfully slow. Tomoyo took notes, sat up straight, and kept her eyes on the teacher, but all of the words went straight through her head. Her heart was pumping, making the rest of her body go numb. Sakura, waiting patiently to ask her questions, was on the back of Tomoyo's mind. She made herself keep her eyes off of Keung.

Naoko, Chiharu, and Rika were close by, whispering to each other whenever the teacher's back was turned to the class. Although their voices were so low that the teacher couldn't have heard them, Tomoyo's over-sensitive ears could pick up every word that they were saying.

"You went on a date with Terada-sensei again? How do you sneak to dinner without being seen?" Naoko asked.

"We usually just have dinner at his or my house. My mom likes to cook for us, but only when my dad is away on business." Rika explained.

"You still can't go out?" Chiharu asked.

Nobody said anything though because the answer was clear.

"Maybe once I graduate, _then_ our romance won't have to be hidden."

"Speaking of romance…" Chiharu started.

Tomoyo stiffened, catching the same tone that Sakura had used earlier, and accidentally dropped her pencil. It rolled under her desk and out of sight. The dark-haired girl half groped under the desk half in search of her pencil, half listening to the conversation between her three friends.

"Tomoyo-chan," Eriol whispered.

Tomoyo looked back to meet blue eyes. Eriol smiled kindly and extended his hand, holding Tomoyo's pencil.

"Thank you, Eriol-kun." Tomoyo whispered, smiling in return.

Tomoyo took her pencil from Eriol's hand. Her fingers briefly brushed his, sending small shocks through all of her nerve endings. She turned around immediately and straightened up in her seat. She bowed her head so that nobody would be able to see her cheeks turning pink. Naoko, Chiharu, and Rika's whispers were now put out of her head.

'_I can't believe this, was that feeling the magic in his fingers, or was that just me?'_

She wiggled her fingers a little. Tomoyo was sure that she had felt magic. When they had touched, she had almost been able to see Eriols blue aura glowing. It was similar to how she had felt when she had touched Keung, but different. She didn't want to be sure when she thought of how Eriol's fingers had felt so much warmer than his.

~*~

When the last bell finally rang, Tomoyo ran to her locker. She was eager to put her books away before she met up with her friends. She needed plenty of time (and courage) to get Eriol to walk her home so that she could talk with him. It was odd that something she had easily done so many times before suddenly seemed difficult.

"Tomoyo-chan," Keung's soft voice greeted.

Tomoyo unintentionally slammed her locker shut and spun around to see the said boy of interest smiling warmly at her. She did her best to clear her mind completely before talking to him. It didn't really work.

"Hi Keung-kun," Tomoyo replied, her voice sounding much higher pitched than usual.

Keung didn't seem to notice, or care, very much though. He rested a hand against her locker. "Are you going to come to the library today?"

The dark-haired girl felt trapped—in a good way. She was suddenly much hotter and quickly thought of an excuse. "I'm sorry, but not today. I think Raiden wants to spend some time with his pen pal, who just came into town."

Despite her rising temperature and Keung's distracting closeness, Tomoyo felt relieved that she was able to spit out a decent excuse that was probably true. The hand dropped from the locker.

"Oh, I see." He said, disappointment evident in his entire form.

A painful hand squeezed Tomoyo's heart. "But I'll be sure to come visit you tomorrow, no matter what."

Keung's demeanor instantly lifted. His warm smile returned and he nodded in understanding. Although this made Tomoyo happy, she felt a little strange in her reflex to please him. It was as if she gave absolutely no second thought to it, if any thought at all.

"Alright then," Keung said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Tomoyo said weakly, waving goodbye.

Sakura and Syaoran soon showed up. The Chinese boy looked only slightly agitated as Meiling and Raiden bounced past him to their lockers. Sadly, this was Syaoran taking things _well_. Sakura looked happy that everyone was getting along (or at least getting along as well as they could).

"You're coming over for dinner tonight." Sakura told Tomoyo. It wasn't a question.

Tomoyo only smiled and sighed. "Alright, I'd be happy to."

"Six-thirty?" Syaoran questioned, glancing at Meiling and Raiden.

Tomoyo could only guess that he didn't want to leave the two alone. Sakura could easily read what he was thinking and quickly replied.

"Yes, but we won't have room for Meiling and Raiden. They can come over another time."

Syaoran crossed his arms, but Sakura took the gesture as an affirmative answer.

"Where is Eriol-kun?" Tomoyo asked.

"He already started walking home." Syaoran said, sounding much more normal. "He said something about needing time to think."

'_Great,'_ Tomoyo thought.

"I'm going to run ahead. I'll see you guys at dinner!"

Tomoyo dashed down the hallway before any of her friends could say anything. She ran out into the courtyard and down the sidewalk, hoping that Eriol hadn't decided to use some sort of magic to get himself home. She grasped onto a lamppost to curve her momentum as she turned a sharp corner. She spotted navy blue hair in the distance.

"Eriol!" Tomoyo yelled, not even bothering to add the suffix to him name as she was running out of breath.

Eriol paused for a moment before turning around. He waited as Tomoyo caught up to him. He simply observed her as she placed her hands on her knees and breathed deeply.

"Is something the matter, Tomoyo-chan?" Eriol asked, not unkindly.

Tomoyo straightened up and met his dark blue gaze. All of her anxiety was forgotten. "Eriol-kun, you have to walk me home!"

She was surprised when he started laughing. Tomoyo realized that she had gotten too far ahead of herself. She fought a blush.

"If you insist." Eriol said simply, gently guiding Tomoyo by the elbow so that they were now walking in the direction of her house.

"Eriol-kun," Tomoyo started softly. She noticed his hand hadn't left her arm. "I remember what you told me—that night when you came to my room."

"You remember it then?" Eriol asked good naturedly, not expecting an answer to his question.

"I think what you told me is starting to happen." Tomoyo said, urgency seeping into her voice.

Eriol glanced down at her eager face. "Yes, I think you are right."

"Sakura told you what happened when we were gone?" Tomoyo asked.

"She did." Eriol replied, his eyes focused on what was in front of him.

Even though he was answering her questions, Tomoyo still felt as if he was somehow avoiding her. She felt as if he still didn't want to tell her something. She couldn't explain why, but it worried her.

"I've been having these dreams," Tomoyo began.

This caught his attention. Eriol stopped walking and turned to face Tomoyo, lightly gripping each of her arms. "Dreams?"

She didn't waste any time. "Yes, I keep dreaming that I'm Artemis. I dreamt that I killed Orion, that I was mad at Apollo, and that I did something wrong. I don't know what it means, but it seems to become more prominent every day."

Eriol muttered something under his breath. Tomoyo thought that it might have been, _'Didn't expect dreams,'_ or _'It isn't what it seems.'_

Whatever he said, he quickly distracted her by guiding her along their route again. They were silent for a while. He was thinking about what she had just said. She didn't mind though.

Eriol started hesitantly. "Have you—"

Tomoyo looked up at him expectantly. Something seemed different about him. He seemed heavier in the way he carried himself.

"Eriol-kun," She softly said, "why did you go to England?"

An oddly painful smile spread across his face. One Tomoyo didn't think she had seen before.

"It wasn't what Syaoran suggested, but then again, he wasn't too far off."

"Kaho?" Tomoyo whispered before she could stop herself.

"Yes," Eriol replied softly. "I needed her help."

"Because...of me?" Tomoyo asked somewhat skeptically.

"Because of you." Eriol affirmed. "You see, not all of Clow's memories are at my disposal."

Tomoyo wasn't sure what he had meant by that, but she didn't want to prod him too much. That pained smile hadn't left his face and she didn't like it. The second silence lasted until they arrived at her house. When they walked up to the gates, she turned to Eriol.

"I don't understand what's happening to me." She said with desperation.

Eriol reached up to her face and gently tucked her dark hair behind her ear. "I want to tell you, but I don't want you to hate me."

Tomoyo wanted to reply. She wanted to tell him that he was one of her best friends and that she could never hate him, but the emotions in his eyes choked her. She could see him so clearly right now, more clearly than she should have been able to. And it silenced her.

"Soon, but not yet." Eriol said.

Before Tomoyo could protest, he was gone. She sighed and leaned back against the gate. She couldn't decide if she was more sad, frustrated, or confused. All she knew was that she wouldn't be able to hide all of what she was feeling from Sakura or Syaoran at dinner.

~*~

VictorianPearl: To be continued.

Li: Yet again, I seem to have come away with more questions than answers.

VictorianPearl: Yes well, all of your questions will be answered before this fiction ends.

Li: I would hope so.


	7. Inquisition

VictorianPearl: Enjoy!

Eternal Flame

Chapter 7

Inquisition

Sakura yanked the door open. Tomoyo's hand was raised, about to knock. The dark-haired girl's eyes widened between the surprise greeting and the ear-to-ear grin on her best friend's face.

"Uh…hi?" Tomoyo winced, waving shyly.

"Come in, Touya cooked dinner."

Sakura reached forward and pulled Tomoyo through the doorway with more strength than would have been expected from her tiny frame. Tomoyo gracefully hopped into the house in attempt not to trip. The loud sounds of pots clanking came from the kitchen. Despite her nervousness, Tomoyo couldn't help but savor the wonderful smell of cooking.

"Good evening Tomoyo-chan." Fujitaka greeted. "Come take a seat." He gestured toward the dining table. "Touya and Syaoran are almost done."

"Touya and Syaoran…cooked together?" Tomoyo whispered, allowing herself to be pushed to her seat by Sakura.

"And nobody's dead yet." Sakura said brightly, dancing to her seat.

The doorbell rang again.

"That must be Yukito." Fujitaka murmured. "I'll go answer it."

"Sakura-chan—you seem very, uh, happy tonight ne?" Tomoyo said conversationally.

"Oh yes," Sakura agreed in an evil manner that made her seem too much like Eriol. "I am quite happy."

"Sakura-chan, Tomoyo-chan, good evening." Yukito greeted, following Fujitaka to the dining table and taking a seat.

Before either girl could reply, Syaoran burst out of the kitchen with a wooden tray packed with food. "Dinner is served!"

Touya quickly cut in front of Syaoran with an even larger tray of food and a big smirk on his face. "Please enjoy the food that I have spent _hours_ preparing for you."

"Don't you mean the food that _we_ prepared?" Syaoran grumbled, setting his tray on the table after Touya.

"Thank you both." Fujitaka said.

Dinner was as awkward as Tomoyo had predicted it would be. Yes, the food was delicious, but no, she did not enjoy Sakura's sidelong glances and mischievous grins. Even Touya and Syaoran hadn't been enough to distract her, having chosen _tonight_ out of all nights to behave.

As Yukito helped Fujitaka clear the table, Tomoyo debated shouting her thanks and running out the door before Sakura could get her alone. The dark-haired girl just sighed and slouched in her seat though. Why prolong the inevitable? The look on Sakura's face as she rose from her seat was pure determination.

"Why don't we go to my room?" Sakura suggested indiscreetly, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Alright," Tomoyo resigned, and then muttered, "like you're giving me a choice."

Sakura bounded up the stairs while Tomoyo followed slowly and daintily behind. A ringing crash came from the kitchen. The dark-haired girl looked over her shoulder as she heard loud cursing from both Syaoran and Touya. She thought of going back but Sakura yanked on her arm, dragging her into the bedroom.

"Hi Tomoyo," Kero said automatically, glued to a video game.

Sakura sat down right in the middle of the floor. She patted the spot in front of her eagerly. Tomoyo sighed internally and sat down. She gave a half hearted smile at her best friend, who she couldn't remember seeing this excited.

"So…" Tomoyo trailed.

"So?" Sakura replied, seeing that she would have to work for the conversation but not really minding. "You like someone."

It was a statement and it was true. Tomoyo nodded once.

A squeal erupted from Sakura's throat. She clapped her hands with glee. "He's in our class, isn't he?"

"Yes, he's in our class." Tomoyo said, allowing a small smile to grace her face.

"Does his name happen to be _Eriol Hiirigizawa_?" Sakura gushed.

Surprise and shock hit Tomoyo hard, causing her to give a shrill, involuntary laugh. She clapped a hand over her mouth when she heard the high-pitched sound. Her eyes widened. That certainly wasn't who she had thought Sakura was going to suggest.

"Eriol-kun. You think I like Eriol-kun?" The dark-haired girl said carefully.

"Don't you?" Sakura asked, confusion touching her eyes.

"I like Keung-kun." Tomoyo said uncertainly. She briefly thought back to their quick meeting at the lockers that day.

"Oh." Sakura whispered. She gazed off, thinking over the new situation.

"Why would you think that I liked Eriol-kun?" Tomoyo asked curiously, pushing away the memory of him gripping her arms tightly.

"Hmm?" Sakura broke out of her daze. "Oh, I suppose because he seems to always be looking at you and hovering around you whenever he thinks it's not obvious. I just assumed you must like him since you didn't tell him to back off, even after the attack from the cards."

Tomoyo stared at her best friend, who merely shrugged her shoulders at her own admission. How strange. The green-eyed girl had been completely oblivious to Tomoyo's attraction (which couldn't have been _that_ well hid) and yet had also been incredibly perceptive about Tomoyo's hidden feelings. Although, she wasn't sure if she liked Eriol like _that_.

"So you really didn't think I liked Keung-kun at all?"

Sakura's gaze became serious. "Meiling-chan told me that Raiden-kun had been wondering about the two of you in the library, but we didn't think it was anything serious." She shook her head. "But I guess that's not important right now. We've got business to do."

Green eyes sparkled with tears, or was it excitement?

Tomoyo gasped. "Does this have to do with the surprise attack?"

Sakura nodded. "Are you ready to go out tonight?"

"Of course—but we will need to stop by my house and grab my camera."

On cue, Syaoran burst into the room, dangling Tomoyo's camera out in front of him. "You're game?"

"My camera?" The dark-haired girl asked. "How did you get it?"

"I dropped by your house." Syaoran said simply, dropping the camera onto Tomoyo's lap and helping his girlfriend stand up.

"Did you _break_ into my house to get this?" Tomoyo demanded.

"I told him you wouldn't like it if your camera was stolen." Kero muttered, shutting off his game.

"I didn't steal it, I just _delivered_ it." Syaoran explained.

"Eriol will be able to recognize the magic." Sakura assured. "Traces had been left in Raiden's wounds. I wasn't able to identify or track it because I noticed it too late, but he will!"

It was strange how Tomoyo's heart thumped loudly at the sound of Eriol's name. It had never done that before. She shook it off quickly.

"Where are we going?"

Sakura gave Tomoyo a long look. Her green eyes were mixed with sympathy and sadness, so much different from how they had looked just a few minutes ago. "You will see."

~*~

Eriol sat in his favorite red chair, brooding. His left foot was resting over his right knee and a clipboard rested in his lap. His fingers were intertwined around a pencil, tapping it thoughtfully against the blank page that waited to be used. His eyes were closed in deep thought. It had taken a while to reach such a level of self-awareness as Nakuru hadn't stopped banging on the door in an attempt to get Eriol to try her newest cooking creation.

'_Sometimes, I really, _really_ hate dreams.' _Eriol thought. _'The dreams that focus around my daily thoughts, or random nothings that leave me waking pleasantly can be quite enjoyable. The bad dreams though, annoy me. It's not simply because they are scary, as I have heard many of my friends experiencing nightmares. No, it is their mystery that provokes me. When I dream good dreams I feel human, but when I dream bad ones…I feel much less than human._

'_I'm not sure what part of my unconscious creates the dark images in my mind. I have a couple of ideas though. There is the magic in my blood that perhaps warps with my subconscious to create _very_ realistic dreams that appear much more often than I feel they should. But maybe there is also Clow's unconscious that also lurks with mine. After all, his memory does have its gaps and gray spots.'_

Eriol brought his pencil to the paper, sketching out a scene from his most recent dream.

'_This man that keeps appearing in my dreams addresses me as "Clow". He seems very much like Clow except that the mysterious man wore red robes instead of blue, and didn't wear glasses. I am not sure, but the man in robes from (perhaps) Clow's memory seems similar to the man in my dream with intentions to kill someone or thing. Could they be the same person? Or perhaps this person is much like myself.'_

After adding the final touches on his sketch, Eriol held up his clipboard into the light. It was almost as if he had gone into a trance while drawing, and now he was properly looking at what he had created.

'_Yes, this man does seem familiar. But he confuses me. I understand that (if this really is from Clow's unconscious) the mysterious man was mad at Clow, absolutely furious. If I were experiencing these dreams, it must mean that the anger still lived, and that I was about to experience revenge intended on Clow. The fury of this man from my dreams was so great that he had somehow found a way to follow me through time in order to get to me._

'_What I don't understand, is why Tomoyo was chosen to be influenced by an unfamiliar magic that smells the same as the magic from my dreams. What use could she be of to someone hoping to get to Clow? Does the enemy know me too well? She may seem like the easiest of targets compared to my other close friends, with her frail appearance and lack of magic. Is she merely a pawn? Or have I overlooked something? Either way, it is up to me to protect her at all costs. I can and will take full responsibility for Clow's actions, but she will not.'_

Eriol gently allowed the clipboard to fall onto the floor. He could feel Syaoran's magic bursting to life, full of energy. He felt three bursts of more familiar magic right after. After a short time, a more unfamiliar electric magic awoke. They were gathering. It was time to track down the magic.

There was another knock on the door. Eriol stood motioned his hand, opening the door. Nakuru danced in.

"Will you be going out tonight, master?" She sang in question.

"Yes," Eriol said, straightening his clothing, "yes I will."

"Do you want us to come with you?" The butterfly asked, but already knew the answer.

"I don't think we will be needing your services _this_ night." Eriol responded, approaching his creation. "They just want to talk about the cards."

"Don't stay out too late." Nakuru said, smiling.

Eriol clapped a hand over her shoulder. "I wouldn't _dream_ of staying out late on a school night."

~*~

VictorianPearl: Yay, another chapter done! It's not the longest one, but I felt like this was the best place to stop.

Li: Joy.

VictorianPearl: In case you are interested, the chapter title refers to Sakura questioning Tomoyo as well as Eriol questioning his dreams :)


	8. Confusion and Magic

Li: (Cues drum roll)

VictorianPearl: I present chapter 8!

Eternal Flame

Chapter 8

Sakura, Syaoran, Kero, Tomoyo, Raiden and Meiling gathered at the penguin park. The location wasn't what surprised Tomoyo though. It wasn't the person they met there that surprised her either, it was how the greeted each other.

When Tomoyo walked into the park and saw Eriol lazily sitting on top of the penguin slide, she really didn't think anything of it. She thought more on why Sakura had been so sad about the meeting. They both knew Eriol wasn't behind the attacks. They just _knew_. So why was Sakura eyeing him so warily?

They stopped in front of the slide and stared at each other. It was accusing, confronting, and kind of awkward. Tomoyo felt oddly out of place and confused. Sakura was clutching her necklace for dear life. It seemed like she was praying desperately for something. Syaoran's gaze fell on Sakura, silently asking her questions. Meiling and Raiden stood hand in hand, quietly waiting.

Tomoyo watched Eriol carefully. Every single move he made was filled with meaning and emotion. It was like she was a painter and every detail on his face was captured and engrained in her mind. His smile was the same as ever, but his eyes seemed slightly down-turned. The light glistened on his navy bangs. The blue of his eyes was even more deep and mysterious.

"Go ahead," Eriol encouraged lightly with a wave of his hand.

Sakura and Syaoran gave each other a long look before returning their gaze to Eriol.

"You didn't do it…" Sakura trailed.

"But you know who did." Syaoran finished.

"Yes," Eriol answered simply.

There was a loud explosion.

~*~

It was a dream. But this time the roles were reversed. She was still Artemis, but now the gods and demigods were no longer Greek, but Eriol, Syaoran, and Keung. It was more terrible than before. She tried to pull herself up from sleep, but when she slipped, she only ended up falling deeper.

Eriol ran up to her, smiling brightly in a way that was more Greek and so unlike himself. His sandals dashed over the (Mediterranean) sand. Huge waves crashed over the sand and washed Eriol away. Tomoyo clasped her hands over a silent gasp. She could't move toward or away from the waves. When the roaring foam finally rolled back, Keung was standing where Eriol had been, wearing a breastplate that shined madly in the sun.

Paralyzing fear shot through Tomoyo's body. The reflection on Keung's armor became blindingly white. When the white sand and blue ocean returned, someone gripped Tomoyo's shoulders and ripper from her spot. Syaoran's hands drug her to safety. His face was soft and concerned. Now that she was moving and with her friend, she felt safe.

As if someone poured water over a fresh painting, the colors of the dream streamed into a blurry portrait.

"We have to hurry." Syaoran whispered fiercely, leaving no room for conversation.

If Syaoran spoke this determinedly, then something was definitely wrong. Tomoyo was pulled into a valley. As they stepped onto the grass, the earth began to shake. Stones from towers that hadn't been there before started to fall loudly, seemingly from the sky.

Syaoran violently shoved Tomoyo to the side. She flew through the air and landed painfully on the trembling rubble. The faint sounds of voices drifted through the loud rumbling. After a few moments the rumbling stopped. Pain coursed through Tomoyo's body. She pressed herself deeper into the sharp rubble, hoping she could force herself to wake up.

"It's alright now."

Again, a pair of hands ripped Tomoyo from her place, but this time it wasn't Syaoran. Tomoyo just hung limply in the unknown person's arms. It was as if her bones were turned to iron.

"I said it's alright now, wake up!"

Tomoyo's body was numb, but she could tell that someone was trying to shift her weight so that she was propped in someone's arms. Because her head was limp, it fell backwards as her body was tilted and the vision of the one holding her was a watery blur. Her vision swayed and Tomoyo thought she was being shaken.

"Please wake up."

The voice was so sad, and yet hopeful and pleading that Tomoyo's subconscious couldn't help but respond by snapping her eyes open.

Tomoyo was greeted to wakefulness with screams. A body pressed into Tomoyo, suffocating her.

"You're awake!"

The voice sounded far away. Tomoyo struggled to push the body away so that she could breathe. The hold was released. Sakura's relieved face met Tomoyo's vision. She was quickly aware of the strained look in her friend's green eyes. Sakura's arms tightened around Tomoyo once again.

"What's wrong?" Tomoyo asked in a scratchy voice.

Sakura didn't say anything. Her gaze just slowly drifted to the side. Tomoyo's gaze followed. Syaoran, Raiden, and Meiling were locked in battle with Fight, Arrow and Shot respectively. A sick feeling twisted in Tomoyo's stomach.

"When…?" Tomoyo gasped.

"Right after we arrived." Sakura explained.

Tomoyo tried to get up but sharp pain shot through her when she did. She clutched at her head and stomach while Sakura supported her. What had happened?

"You were knocked out." Sakura answered Tomoyo's silent question. "Fight caught us from behind."

"They attacked us here?" Tomoyo whispered, more to herself. "Why aren't you with them?"

Sakura's gaze fell back on the others. "I had to take care of you. And besides, they seem rather—distracted, I suppose."

Tomoyo wasn't sure what Sakura meant, but she turned to watch her friends as well. It was odd, but like Sakura mentioned, the cards (or not-cards) seemed like they weren't really paying attention to the battle at hand. Even Tomoyo could tell that their attacks were sloppy. Syaoran, Raiden, and Meiling had the upper hand.

"Where is Eriol?" Tomoyo questioned, glancing around to find where her other friend was.

"He ran off." Sakura explained. "He's going to track down the one who is behind this."

"But we've convinced the others it's not him, right?" Tomoyo asked hopefully.

Sakura inhaled harshly as Fight managed to connect a kick to Syaoran's chest, sending him flying backward. The young man recovered quickly though and blocked Fight's next attack.

"Go help him." Tomoyo urged, giving Sakura a gently push.

Sakura glanced down, giving Tomoyo a do-you-think-I-would-leave-you-alone-in-the-middle-of-battle look. But Tomoyo sent a knowing look of her own back. The green-eyed girl exhaled loudly and gazed longingly at Syaoran.

"It _is_ about time that someone finish this battle." Sakura said, standing.

With a burst of pink magic, wings grew on Sakura's back and she flew to the aid of her friends. She summoned Windy and captured her foes with strong gusts.


	9. Captured

VictorianPearl: Alright, so I'm not sure what happened, but about three pages that were supposed to be in chapter 8 weren't. I don't know what happened, or where they went, so I've just added them into this chapter. It's longer and the transition isn't as climatic, so I apologize for that. I hope you enjoy it all the same.

Li: I hope you're prepared.

Eternal Flame

Chapter 9

Captured

Tomoyo ran from the battle as fast as she could. Things were going to get ugly and she needed to find Eriol. She reached the empty street. She took the opportunity to chance a glance behind her when a sudden pain and oblivion briefly met her world. She was on her back.

"Tomoyo!"

The dark haired girl quickly looked up.

"Keung?"

This wasn't good. They was too close to the park. Tomoyo scrambled to get up, ignoring her aching body.

"What's going on? You're hurt!" Keung said with a worried voice, placing his hands on Tomoyo's shoulders.

She shook her head frantically. "I'll be fine. I need you to help me find my friend, Eriol."

Tomoyo grabbed Keung's hand and started to pull him in the opposite direction from the battle, but he increased his grip and pulled her back. She looked up into his dark eyes, confused.

"I think we should get you to a doctor." Keung said in a tone that let her know he was making the suggestion simply for her benefit. "You're bleeding."

"No I'm not—" Tomoyo started.

Keung placed his hand on her temple and pulled back. His fingers were tainted red.

'_When did that happen?'_

Tomoyo shook her head again. "Like I said, I'll be fine. Right now we really need to find—"

Keung cut her off again, this time by pulling her body up against his. Tomoyo's eyes widened as she felt the lean chest that her upper half was pressed against. She couldn't deny it, she liked it, but now…

Dark eyes softened as they stared down at her. A hand came up and gently rested on her neck. A shock was sent through Tomoyo's skin at his touch. Her adrenaline was pumping now more than ever. Something was off.

"Tomoyo," Keung whispered, causing the poor girl's knees to weaken, "you should really just let me take care of you."

He squeezed her neck, and everything went black.

~*~

Searing pain and oblivion filled Tomoyo's head. She couldn't remember having such a bad headache before. She couldn't even think because it hurt too badly. Something warm was under her, but it did little to ease the pain. She focused on it all the same, trying to draw herself away from oblivion.

It was a rug that she was lying on. It felt rough and hot. There was a fire softly crackling nearby. The pain lessened just a little. Had she fallen asleep in the living room? But her mother didn't make fires…

Fire. An explosion. Sakura.

Tomoyo's eyes shot open and she gasped. That's right. She had run from the battle and into Keung. He had acted a little strange. But hadn't that all just been a dream?

She glanced around an open room. It was unfamiliar and surprisingly warm in its choice of color, furniture, and artwork. A fire was blazing in the fireplace nearby. There was no sign of anyone.

Tomoyo bit down on her lip and endured the pain as she pushed herself up into sitting position. She swayed and clutched her head. Her stomach wretched in protest as she managed to prop a leg underneath herself. She was going to be sick. Trying to focus on something else, she glued her eyes to the windows across the room. She had to focus on finding out where she was.

'_Come on Tomoyo.'_ She thought to herself. _'You've been through worse…probably. Just get pull yourself together. And don't throw up.'_

Tomoyo's legs shook violently as she stood up. She clutched her stomach with one hand and held the other out in front of her for balance. She collapsed against the wall for support. Her hand groped the wall until she found a doorknob.

Locked.

A locked door meant one of two things to Tomoyo. One, someone wanted to keep her from poking around the rest of the house, or two, someone wanted to keep her trapped there. Either way, the intention was that she wasn't to leave, but she really needed to get going.

There was a table and a set of chairs in the middle of the room. If she could just get far enough, she could use a chair to help make her escape. It was time to try the windows.

The poor girl's legs wobbled so fiercely that she all but collapsed in the nearest chair. She breathed long, deep breaths. Violet eyes focused on the windows. She was determined to get out and find Sakura. The pain across the side of her head left little room for other thoughts.

'_Alright, you can do this Tomoyo. You may not have a magic wand, or card deck, or sword, but you are too stubborn to let any situation conquer _you_! You can conquer any situation, and right now, you're going to conquer this situation all the way to the windows.'_

Tomoyo forced herself up with a fresh burst of inspiration. She used the chair as a walker for support to the large windows at the other side of the room. She peered through the glass. She was on the second story of a house, but there was a tree right outside the window. If she fell into it, she might be a little hurt, but she was confident she could manage to hobble away afterward.

Violet eyes moved upward along the glass of the window. She saw a little handle. She gripped it tightly and shook it. It didn't budge. She pushed and pulled as forcefully as she could, but the window refused to give.

Figures.

Tomoyo took the chair in her hands and stepped back. It was just a light, simple chair, but it would work well enough. With a deep breath, mustering all of her strength, Tomoyo lifted the chair and threw it against the window.

The moment the chair connected with the window, the glass gave a brief, ethereal shine before launching the chair across the room. It was smashed to pieces against the wall where Tomoyo had awoken. It surprised her, but not nearly as much as it should have.

"Magic," Tomoyo breathed. "Well this certainly explains a few things."

~*~

When the battle was over, Tomoyo was nowhere to be found. Sakura tried calling her best friend's cell phone, but it just went straight to voice mail. She felt so frantic she was in tears. She should have focused on protecting her friend.

Sakura was sitting in the middle of the penguin park in hopes that Tomoyo would find her way back to that place. She knew it was unlikely. Meiling sat on the ground with her, arms circled around her shoulders in a comforting hug. They waited for their boyfriends to return. Syaoran, Raiden, and Kero had gone off in the direction Tomoyo had left. Eriol—he had vanished once again, almost as soon as he had found out that Tomoyo was missing.

"I bet it was the work of those cards." Meiling said, tightening her hug. "Why else would she have disappeared?"

"I don't understand though." Sakura said through a cracked voice. "They attacked before when she was gone. I don't think they could have any need for her."

"Maybe not with her." Meiling replied. "But maybe they're trying to get to you. Maybe they want to force you into a bargain of some kind."

"That would make sense if I knew who _they_ were and what I have that could be offered in a bargain."

"You're the mistress of the cards, you're very powerful."

"Yes, but who knows that?" Sakura asked with an exasperated sigh. "The only people who know about me are my close friends here and your family in China. I don't think any of them need something so badly from me that they have to stoop so low as to attack me and kidnap my best friend. That doesn't make me feel generous in negotiating."

Meiling looked at Sakura's tear stained face. Her eyes were glued to the stars. There was no answer that would satisfy the cardmistress. They would just have to wait until the others returned.

A flash of blond hair caught Meiling's attention. She breathed in with excitement, about to tell Sakura they had returned, until she saw their faces. She couldn't remember seeing Raiden look so disappointed before. Syaoran looked carefully at Sakura as he slowly approached her. Her gaze hadn't left the stars, but she could tell they didn't bring back good news.

Green eyes met with brown. She knew, but she asked anyway.

"Did you find her?"

"No," Syaoran replied softly.

"I think I may know where to find more help though." Kero said hopefully, perching on Sakura's shoulder.

~*~

"Kero!" Nakuru squealed as she met the little guardian beast at her front door. "What brings you all over here? Is Master being evil again?"

Syaoran and Kero said "yes" at the same moment Sakura and Meiling said "no".

"Hmm," Nakura hummed as she put a hand to her chin. "Well I guess you had better come inside."

The butterfly guardian stepped back to let her guests inside. She had a cute frilly apron on over a red dress. She ushered everyone into the kitchen where Spinel was resting on the countertop next to some freshly baked cookies. The little guardian frowned at Kero, who immediately started to help himself.

"What happened?" Nakuru inquired, pouring everyone a glass of milk.

"Tomoyo has gone missing and Eriol ran off as soon as he found out." Sakura explained, cutting right to the chase.

"Do you know what he's been doing lately, Nakuru?" Meiling questioned.

Nakuru paused to hand Raiden and Syaoran glasses of milk first. "Master is always doing lots of things, what do you want to know?"

"Nakuru," Spinel said in a warning tone, "don't go giving out all of master's personal business."

"I'll do whatever I can to help Master come back." Nakuru replied, sticking her tongue out at Suppi.

"We've been attacked by something similar to the cards a couple of times." Syaoran started. "We don't know who else could have been behind it."

"Oh, those pretend cards?" Nakuru said, turning her nose up at the thought. "They are a disgrace to Master's wonderful masterpiece. They are no where in league with Clow-sama's cards."

"So Hiirigizawa isn't making them appear?" Syaoran asked, the confidence in his voice failing.

"No!" Nakuru said as if it were plainly obvious. "That's what he's been busy looking into these days. He's been trying to chase some magic that's been running around in dreams."

Confusion splayed on each of the guest's faces. Nakuru handed milk to her remaining guests.

"Why is Eriol looking for magic in dreams?" Sakura asked.

"Why does Master do anything?" Spinel asked out loud. "He doesn't tell us."

Nakuru nodded in agreement. "Master does love his secrets."

The guests sipped their milk, none looking too happy. Raiden clutched his glass in concentration.

"You said that Eriol-san is chasing magic through dreams, correct?"

"Yep," Nakuru replied.

"And he went to England recently, why?" Raiden asked, tearing his gaze away from his milk to look at Nakuru and Spinel.

"Oh you know, to light the old flame." Spinel said in a monotone voice, causing Kero to choke on his cookie.

Nakuru waved a dismissive hand at Spinel. "Master needed Kaho-sama's help researching some story he was obsessed with."

This made something click in Raiden's mind.

"Now that you mention it, Tomoyo has been very interested in a story lately too."

Everyone stared at Raiden with wide eyes.

"I haven't heard her mention anything." Sakura said with confusion in her voice.

"It's been while working on our project in the library." Raiden said, glancing at everyone. "She would always go to the counter and ask about a book because she wanted to read one of the stories in it."

"What book?" Syaoran questioned.

"A Greek mythology book."

~*~

VictorianPearl: First I want to thank Midnight Ghost for leaving the review that made me realize a good chunk had been left out of the 8th chapter. It would have been really bad if I had just started this chapter off with Tomoyo in captivity while offering no explanation. I'm glad that situation was avoided.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.


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